The Seeds of Love
by The Unmistakable Romantic
Summary: An intoxicating mix of love, anxiety, and botany. A struggle and a hopeful triumph with, of course, a bit of humor. What will result?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Hearts and Hooves Day, it's such a silly day" the mare reflected. "Just a bunch of ponies running around, acting silly…"

The thought drifted away as it was replaced by a growing anxiety.

"Twilight, turn that lamp off and go to bed, you've been writing in your diary for forever."

She peered over the edge of her bed. A few feet away, in his own bed, lie a baby dragon. Even in the darkness of the room, the irritation on his face was apparent.

"Sorry Spike. I…I just have a lot on my mind. Just a few more minutes."

He let out a sigh as he pulled his blanket over his head.

She flipped back to the beginning of her diary entry to review what she had written a few minutes prior.

_My Most Faithful Diary,_

_I'm sorry for neglecting to write in you, but, as you're about to find out, I've been quite busy. _

_A few days ago, I was given a very special assignment by Princess Celestia. I have been charged with aiding in the research of a new botanical spell. I am to test the fledgling spell and record the results. However, I've run into a minor problem. I can't even perform the spell! _

_I had Spike send her a message informing her of my problem. Fortunately, Princess Celestia was prepared for such an event. She has sent me one of her students from the Botanical Academy of Canterlot. The student should be arriving any day now. _

_Anyway, about the spell, it is intended to be used to cultivate a very special plant. It is in this plant's nature to produce certain seeds. These seeds, when ingested, allow a stallion and a mare to…_

At this, Twilight blushed furiously.

She pounded her head with her hoof.

"This is nothing to be embarrassed about, it's just research."

…_to copulate without the aid of additional contraceptives. Needless to say, it would be a big seller, which explains the Monarchy's involvement in the research. It is hoped that the spell will be finished in a month's time, a few days prior to Hearts and Hooves Day._

The entry then deviates onto the subject of Hearts and Hooves Day. It's easy to see why. The whole point of the spell is to grow a seed for Hearts and Hooves Day.

But, perhaps, there was another reason her thoughts had changed in that direction.

She let out a frustrated sigh.

"There's no time to think about _that_. Also, I need all of my energy to work on that spell. The Princess is counting on me. I hope that student gets here soon."

She laid her head on the pillow and closed her eyes, forcefully pushing away the thought that was the cause of her mounting anxiety.

* * *

After tossing and turning for an hour, she fell into an uneasy sleep. Morning came soon enough.

The sun had already begun to rise; light poured into her room. It seemed like Celestia raised the sun earlier and earlier each passing day.

A hoof silently pushed open the door to her library and closed it just as carefully. The door clicked when it was returned to its frame.

The click echoed in the library, but it wasn't enough to wake the exhausted mare.

A heavy bag was dropped near the table at the center of the library.

"Spike, is that you?" Twilight mumbled.

A few moments passed with no answer.

Twilight, blinded by the intruding light and sleep, rubbed her eyes as she rose to a sitting position on her bed. Before she could take her hooves away from her face, a young voice addressed her.

"Well, you're finally awake."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Twilight jolted awake and screamed: "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, burglar! Spike! HELP!"

She quickly covered herself with her blanket.

The stallion just looked at her, perplexed.

"Is that how you intend to fend off a burglar?" The stallion remarked. "I guess you're lucky I'm not a burglar, or worse. Your screams didn't even wake your assistant."

Twilight's gaze drifted to Spike's bed. The baby dragon was still soundly asleep. Her face became pale at the thought of what _could_ have happened.

"I guess I should lock my door at night." she laughed nervously.

He raised an eyebrow, still confused as to why she didn't have her door locked.

"Ponyville is a small town. I think I've met nearly everypony here and it's safe." she quickly explained.

"I see. Anyway, my name is Verdant Reed. I'm here to help you with the spell."

"What? Oh yes!" she exclaimed. "You're from the Academy in Canterlot."

"Glad you remembered." he smiled.

"I'm sorry; I'm not very mindful in the morning. Your sudden appearance didn't help matters either."

"I'm sorry as well. I should have announced my presence. Especially when walking into a mare's bedroom."

Twilight averted her eyes.

"Is something the matter?" he queried.

"No, no, I'm glad to meet you Mr. Reed"

He leaned forward over the foot of her bed to shake her hoof. Even though she was sitting, the hoof-shake threw her off balance.

"Sorry, about that." he apologized.

"It's alright." she responded after steadying herself. "Spike, Spike! The student has arrived."

"A few more minutes, Twilight." he mumbled, scratching himself.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked up at the stallion. Upon seeing him, Spike jumped in terror at his presence, nearly falling out of his bed. His claw clutched his chest for a moment as he calmed himself.

"Looks like I've scared everyone in this library. Are there any others? I don't want to leave them out." Verdant joked.

"Don't mind Spike. He's just a little surprised too." she laughed uneasily.

Verdant stared intently at Spike for a few moments, carefully examining him. Spike squirmed under his gaze.

"I've only seen a few baby dragons in my time. Yours has a very interesting color pattern." Verdant remarked.

Spike sat silently, eyes still wide with surprise.

"Uhh, thanks." Spike replied.

A few moments passed in awkward silence. The three just stared at each other. Spike stared, Verdant rubbed his left foreleg with his right, and Twilight just smiled uneasily.

Finally, Twilight clopped her hooves together and said, "Well, I think I'll show you to the room I've had prepared for you."

"That would be lovely." he replied in a polished accent. He seemed grateful for the suggestion. He turned to stride down the flight of stairs he had ascended only minutes earlier.

"Lovely?" Twilight thought. "I've never heard a stallion say that before. Do all the stallions in Canterlot say that? I guess I've been away longer than I thought. And his accent... I wonder if he's from Manehatten."

Twilight lifted her head from the thought. It was only then that she took notice of his appearance. He was rather good looking. His well-groomed coat was a very pale mint green. Its color was complimented by his dark, green hair and his emerald eyes. His cutie mark was…

"Wait." she thought to herself. She caught another glimpse of his flank just before he exited from her sight. "He doesn't have a cutie mark. He's a blank-flank?! No, that couldn't be, maybe it just blends in with his green coat. It's probably a green plant. Yes, that explains why I didn't see it."

Spike caught Twilight staring at his flank. She turned to him and he gave her a wry smile.

"That wasn't what I was doing!" she said in a flustered whisper. "Spike didn't you notice his flank?"

His smile only grew. "I didn't see anything; I don't go around looking at stallion's flanks." He teased.

"That isn't what I meant!" Her face was visibly red now, quite a feat considering she is covered in purple fur.

Verdant had made his way down the stairs and was heading toward the bag he had dropped earlier. He opened it and was digging through its contents, in search of something.

Twilight thought this would be a good opportunity to see if he really was a blank-flank. She quickly made her way to the stairs. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her mirror on her dresser. After a moment's thought, she took the comb and hurriedly brushed her mane and tail.

"I have to at least try to make a good first impression." she thought to herself.

Spike, seeing her frantically brushing her mane, whistled a cat call. Twilight turned to scold him only to see him shrug innocently.

Remembering her mission, Twilight carefully made her way down the steps, hoping not to disturb him until she had a good look.

As she neared her target, she treaded even more carefully. But no matter which way she craned her neck, his tail blocked her view.

"Just a little closer." she thought. "Yes, YES! NO!" His tail had swung right back into her view, obscuring his flank.

"Just a little more…"

She was only a few feet away from him when he pulled a book out of his bag. He set the book on the table on his immediate left. He looked over his shoulder to see a stunned mare.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

Twilight's eyes were still glued to his flank, and she couldn't turn away. He caught her gaze and traced it to its target.

"Are you surprised?" he smiled, a bit self-mockingly.

At last, Twilight broke her stare and stuttered an apology: "S-s-sorry."

"It's all right." he said, doing his best to sound calm. "I guess you are surprised, who wouldn't be? After all, how many stallions can say they lived out their adolescent years and _didn't_ receive their cutiemark?" his face hardened, displaying a bitter anger.

"I'm just a few months younger than you, yet my cutiemark still eludes me." he sighed.

Twilight sat there, not quite sure what to say. Even if she did know what to say, she wasn't sure if she would have had the courage to say it.

A few seconds passed…

This time, he broke the silence.

"Twilight, you were going to show me to my room?"

"Y-yes, this way."

He picked up his bag and followed her lead.

She took him to a room at the back of the library. She had it cleaned and prepared for his arrival. Few others even knew of this room, it was usually used for storage, but, as Spike found out, it could be easily turned into a guest room.

She opened the door for him and stepped out of his path. He scanned the room as he entered, taking note of its contents. It was a fairly small room. It had the basic furnishings. A bed, a nightstand, and a closet, it even had a desk stocked with the proper utensils and supplies.

When he finished surveying his new home, he turned to Twilight.

"Do you remember that book I took out of my bag?" he asked sternly.

She raised her head. "Yes"

"Review its contents while I arrange my belongings. The book gives detailed instruction for the performance of the spell. Keep in mind that the spell is in its testing stage, so we must proceed with caution. Do not attempt the spell in my absence; it's too dangerous and I don't want you getting hurt."

"Okay" she mumbled. "Is there anything else I can..."

He closed the door in her face.

She stood there, in shock, for a few moments. The sounds of him dropping his bag and sitting on the bed drifted through the door.

"Best to give him his privacy." she murmured as she headed back to the library's drawing room.

Spike greeted the sulking Twilight.

"That guy's a load of fun isn't he?" he laughed. His laughter turned to concern when he saw her face; she was trying to hold back her tears.

"So much for making a good first impression." she sniffled.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Twilight, what did he do to you?" Spike asked, his voice marked by a deep concern.

"It's…It's nothing." she mumbled.

"I don't like him Twilight. He hasn't been here for an hour and he's upset you already. Let's send the Princess a message about this." Spike pressed.

He could feel his concern twist into anger. He had never seen Twilight cry before. She was always either energetic, reserved, happy, or content. At times, she even became angry or nervous. As far as he knew, she had never shed a tear in her life.

Twilight wiped her eyes. She was determined not to show Verdant how much he had hurt her. Yet, maybe he didn't mean to hurt her…

"His cutiemark… I shouldn't have stuck my nose where it didn't belong." she reflected.

"But that's no reason to get angry at you." Spike quickly retorted.

"I said it's nothing, Spike. We just got off to a bad start." Twilight said, attempting to calm her assistant.

"But, he hurt you…" he pleaded.

"He did, but I hurt him first." she retorted.

Spike considered this.

"But you didn't mean to hurt him."

"I don't think he meant to hurt me either."

"Well, I still don't like him."

She saw how resolved he was. It was amazing to see how much he had grown since they first arrived in Ponyville. He had become quite a mature little dragon. Twilight smiled, walked up to Spike and gently kissed his forehead.

She giggled, "My baby dragon is growing up so fast."

He could only blush at this.

Even if Spike did have a retort, he wouldn't have had time to use it because Verdant had just entered the room. He brought his traveling bag with him.

None of the three said anything, well, none of them said anything verbally. Spike's glare at Verdant spoke volumes. This time, it was Verdant who seemed uneasy under Spike's stare.

Verdant, having noticed Twilight's red-rimmed eyes, walked up to her. He wasn't usually one to beat around the bush, this time was no exception.

"Twilight, I know I've mistreated you. You've been very generous in allowing me to stay here. I shouldn't have shown you my anger, you didn't deserve it. You were just…curious. Princess Celestia told me you would be." he gave her a gentle smile.

"It's all right, Mr. Reed." she said.

"You don't have to call me 'Mr. Reed'. I know our relationship is supposed to be professional, but you can call my by my first name."

"Okay, Verdant." she giggled.

Spike threw his arms up in the air in defeat, letting out a sigh, "Great, now they're on a first-name basis." he thought.

"It's funny, back at the academy, I'm quite famous for my temper. I even have a nick-name. They call me 'Verdant the Vicious'…" Verdant froze, realizing that he may have said too much.

Twilight and Spike both gave him a quizzical look.

"Well," Verdant said, clopping his hooves together to break the tension, "Let's have a look at that spell."

His horn became enveloped in a faint green glow as he lifted up the book he had earlier set on the table. Twilight assisted him by grabbing a nearby lectern. After carefully setting the book on the lectern, the pages fluttered open to the introduction.

He began, "This botanical spell's official name is 'The Love Sprout'."

Twilight gave him a questioning look.

"I had no hoof in naming it." he quickly admitted.

"As you can see, this book is a tome. Fortunately, you don't need to read all of it in order to attempt the spell. However, what you do need to read are chapters one through five. These chapters will give you the necessary knowledge to perform the spell. Please note, the spell has been successfully performed in that a plant has been produced with every attempt. However, the _right_ plant, with the desired seeds, has never been successfully created." Verdant explained. "While you read the chapters, I'll prepare the incantation diagram."

He walked over to his bag, reached in, and took out a piece of chalk, a pot, potting soil, and white sheet.

"I am, however, missing a very important item. This spell requires water from the Everfree Forest. I thought I could find the water for sale by a local vendor, but no one in Ponyville sells it."0

Twilight's eyes lit up.

"I know of somepony who is sure to have a vial of it. Spike, go find Zecora; I'm sure you can purchase some from her." she said excitedly.

"What?! And leave you here with him?!" Spike blurted.

Twilight looked back at Verdant. He was busy drawing the outline of the diagram on the sheet he had laid on the floor. "I'll be fine."

Spike gave Twilight a concerned look as she gestured for him to leave.

"Okay, Twilight, I'll only be gone a few minutes."

He left immediately, trying not to waste any time.

She turned back to Verdant. He was intently drawing the inner structure of the diagram. The diagram was incredibly complex; its lines, circles, stars interweaving among the diagrams exterior rings. He didn't once reference the book.

Catching Twilight's gaze, he raised his head from the diagram to smile at her.

Blushing, she quickly returned to reading the tome. She tried to focus on the text, yet other thoughts occupied her mind: Why was he acting so friendly toward her?

She was beginning to think Princess Celestia had sent him for reasons in addition to aid with the spell. After all, couldn't she have just as easily sent a mare? Why a stallion? Why a stallion who was close to the same age as her? Was this a test to see how well she could deal with the opposite sex? She could never tell exactly what the Princess was planning.

"Is she trying to set me up with a mate?" Twilight wondered.

She froze at the thought. She had never even been close friends with any stallion aside from her brother. She had never considered asking a stallion on a date before, though she has caught herself stealing looks at some of the resident stallions. "Are mares even supposed to ask stallions out on dates? Maybe I have a book on dating." she thought.

There were few stallions in Ponyville. The few there were expressed little to no interest in her. At that rate, she would never find a mate. Perhaps this is why the Princess decided to send her one.

She turned once again from the book to look at him. He glanced up to smile.

Twilight quickly looked away. "Twilight!" she thought to herself, "stop acting like a school filly with a crush." She let out a sigh; her self-admonishment gave her some relief.

"I'm probably just over-thinking this entire issue," she mumbled to herself as she turned the page to the third chapter.

* * *

Spike ran as fast as his little legs could carry him through Ponyville's market place. Dozens of thoughts raced through his mind:

"I need to hurry up and get this water so I can get back to the library. I don't trust that guy no matter what excuses Twilight makes for him. Does she actually like him? She's never talked about dating before. She's more concerned about books than stallions."

At this thought, he began to slow his pace.

"Even if he was dangerous, I bet she could hold her own. Besides, Princess Celestia trusts him. And if she trusts him, I guess I can too. Who knows? It might be good for Twilight to have a stallion around. It might be like having an older brother."

Spike smiled at the thought. Spike didn't have much of a family, maybe a new member is welcome and…"WAIT," Spike's thoughts returned to Celestia, "Celestia wouldn't have sent him if she knew about his temper, or does she know and she sent him anyway? Maybe…"

"Well, howdy Spike, how's it goin'?" Applejack crossed into his path, nearly knocking him on his tail.

"Badly!" he blurted, shaken from his thoughts.

She frowned for a moment, and then smiled, prodding him. "Ah, it can't be that bad."

"It is. A stallion is staying for a while at the library and…

"A stallion?!" Applejack chimed in. "Well, ain't that somethin'. Twilight's finally found herself a mate. I wish I could find one ma' self, but it's difficult. Not too many colts lookin' to settle down…"

"APPLEJACK!"

"Whoops, sorry Spike. Guess I got a little carried away." She laughed nervously. "What were you saying about this stallion again?"

"He just arrived from Canterlot and he's staying at the library to help Twilight out with some spell. But he hadn't been here an hour and he yelled at Twilight. Twilight told me to not worry, but…but…I don't trust him!"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down, sugarcube. I think you're underestimating Twilight. She's a big pony and she can take care of herself. Don't forget that she's the Princess's star pupil, I bet she could uproot an entire acreage of apple trees with her magic."

"But, what if he manipulates her? What if he tricks her into liking him?"

"Well, Twilight is smart and all with her studies, but you might have a point. She doesn't seem to have a lot of common sense at times…"

"But, what's worse is that she already likes him!"

At this, Applejack smiled, "Spike, there's something you gotta understand about fillies. We can have small crushes on stallions, especially if they're good-lookin'. But, if you are worried about this fella, I suppose I could check this colt out for ya."

Spike appeared relieved. "Thanks Applejack."

"No problem, sugarcube. You know I like to help out when I can and even sometimes when I cant. Now, tell he where you're headn', that ain't the way to the library."

"Twilight wants me to buy some Everfree forest water from Zecora. It's for their spell."

"Well, hop on and I'll get you there in no time."

Spike quickly climbed onto Applejack, and, a moment later, she was galloping to Zecora's hut while Spike held on to her neck with all his might. Though the galloping terrified him, and made him a bit nauseous, he wanted to get back to the library as quickly as he could.


End file.
